Five questions with Andrew Randazzo
Andrew Randazzo
1. What does living simply mean to you?
Living simply for me is a lifestyle I’ve chosen so I can focus on and do what I love. That means refining my time, thoughts, possessions, and habits so that I can accomplish that. It’s a life-long journey that has really involved thinking outside the box and not accepting the norms of our society.
2. Why is it important to you? (Finances, faith, politics, etc).
There’s three reasons why I’ve chosen this path and why I’m so passionate about it. First, is because of my faith. I’m a Christian and I’m totally devoted to God, and I don’t want anything to pull me away from that like so many Christians who get caught up in materialism and their nice, little, comfortable lives.
My second reason is that I’ve always been told by others that my dreams are impractical, that one day I’ll have to grow up and get a normal job like everyone else, and I’ll have other responsibilities that will inevitably tie me down. I hate that, and once I got my first introduction to minimalism, I saw this as the golden window of opportunity.
Lastly, I have this thing about not going into debt. I absolutely despise the thought of being restricted by its chains. I’ve worked hard to make it through school without taking out a loan, and living simply is part of my endeavor to keep it that way.
3. What steps have you taken to live simply in your day to day life?
Read. Read. Read. You can’t take action until you know what action to take. So, I spent a whole day reading through all of Leo Babauta’s “The Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits – A Guided Tour” and started subscribing to other minimalist/productivity writers.
Once I knew what direction I needed to go, I started a two week process in January of going through my room and pairing down everything I had. I also took any and all paper I had and either threw it away or digitalized it. I’ve since had two more purgings.
On a day to day basis, I’ve implemented a number of things including: driving slower, checking my email less, not watching tv, taking time for walks, not eating out, meditating, waking up early, making time for family and friends, and not having an attitude of “business” are just a few.
4. What’s been the hardest part of your simple journey?
I’m learning that my ideal minimalist lifestyle is going to take time to achieve, it doesn’t happen overnight. So, I’m having to learn patience. It’s also been difficult because there’s a lot of people close to me who aren’t fully supportive of what I’m doing, but that’s to be expected.
5. What advice would you give others who are on the living simple journey?
1. Know why you want to be on this journey. If you loose sight of that, the rest will fall apart.
2. Good intentions mean nothing, you have to get up and do something. So, when you’ve finished reading those blogs and commenting on them, get up and actually follow through. Remember, it’s a journey, not a day trip. So, take baby steps and look at the big picture.
3. If you’re discouraged and you don’t have a support chain, you need to find that or you’ll burn out. All the guys and girls I’ve met on this journey are incredibly friendly, so reach out and start building relationships with them (but don’t be a leech).
Andrew Randazzo is on a journey to minimalize and simplify his life and writes about it for others to learn how to do the same at Live [Simply] Free. His goal is to quit his day job by the end of the year and take a one-year mission trip around the world. You can follow him on Twitter @LiveSimplyFree.
Have you enjoyed this post? Would you consider subscribing to our blog via 
Share This ::